Steam-engine



' M. J. McK. FITZPATRICK.

I STEAM ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED 9.26, 1918.

1,373,183, Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

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APPLICATION FILED AUG.26,1918.

1,873Q183. Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

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'UNITED STATES PATENT.

OFFICE.

MATTHEW JOSEPH MCKEAN FITZPATRICK, OF LAGOS, N IGEBIAQWFST AFRICA.

STEAM-ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mar, 29 1921 Applicationfiled August 26, 1918. Serial No. 251,556.

larly suitable in tropical countries in lieu of internal combustion motors which cannot be readily understood or controlled by the natives.

Under my invention I employ a steam engine capable of driving in one direction only, thereby obviating the employment of link or other reversing gear, and I arrange that this engine which would be inolosed and self (forced feed) lubricating, exert its power on the driving shaft through a reversing clutch preferably having machine cut bevel wheels and working parts inclosed in an oil bath. The valves would preferably be piston valves.

The speed of the engine is controlled by a simple arrangement of rods and levers from the starting platform to the throttle valve.

The reversing lever could be controlled, in the case of a boat, fromthe steering platform.

The boiler, for small craft. would preferably be a rapid generator of the semi-flash type and fired by parafiin or other oil fuel.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood I have hereunto appended an explanatory sheet of drawings whereon I have shown, by Way of example, an engine of the inclosed type as used for the propul sion of the steam launch.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the engine with its gear.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a plan and Fig. 4: is an end view of the clutch box and its operating gear to an enlarged scale. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of the clutch.

box.

Referring to the drawings The engine a may be of any suitable type and as shown, is arranged to run continually closed under forced feed lubrication. In

the case of a boat a high speed engine would preferably be selected as having great power for the small weight and space occupied in the vessel. 6 is the clutch box, 0 the propeller shaft, 03 the flywheel 0n the shaft and e the steam supply pipe from the boiler. The engine is ordinarily controlled by its governor which is of a sensitive construc tion but, when maneuvering or running at i very low speeds, I use the throttle valve and operate it by means of the rods 7", g, the lat ter being operated by means of a hand lever h. The reversing clutch is of the bevel wheel which type with brake band and internal expanding arms or rims the gears being of mild steel and machine cut and run ning in an oil bath in the clutch box 6. A

power thrust block is incorporated in the clutch casting and also runs in theoil bath. Up to a certain power the thrust hearing may be incorporated in the clutch casting (as illustrated) but after a certain power has been reached I prefer to have the thrust block outside and separate from the reverse gear casting and, when this separate thrust block is used, it is of the inclosed forced feed lubrication type with water cooling circulation through the shoes. On the propeller shaft 0 is the flywheel d which gives steady running the flywheel being placed at the opposite end of the shaft from the reversing clutch thus reducing any tendency to whipping and undue wear which might take place if the flywheel were placed nearer the reverse gear coupling.

The engine shown has two cylinders compound, non condensing, with central piston valves but, of course, any other suitable type of engine of the inclosed type may be employed.

The reversing clutch is operated by means of the hand lever 71 and rod j whose arm 0 with shoe 0 at its end operates the rockable lever 7c and through it the clutch mechanism.

The clutch mechanism, shown. at Fig. 5, comprises a pinion 1 keyed to the engine shaft and a similar pinion 2 keyed to the propeller shaft 0, these meshing with intermediate pinions 3, 3, freely mounted on spindles 4, 4, secured in the drum 5 which is free to rotate about the shafts and has a clutch portion 6 at one end with which an expanding clutch 7 on the propeller shaft is adapted to engage. The rod 7' extends down through the clutch casing b and carries a or astern direction, the cone sleeve 9 is moved away from the expanding clutch 7. At the 'same time the lever Fig. 4%) moves the inclined shoe 0 which in turn imparts move ment to the fulcrum lever 70 (Figs. 14:). This lever presses down astud whlch tightens a brake band 10 encircling the drum 5.

The brake band l0 when tightened'by the -action' of the lever prevents the drum 5 from turning with the result that the pinions 3, 3, are rotated by the pinion l on their respective spindles 4 and convey motion to the pinion 2 in a direction opposite to that of the pinion 1.

In the arrangement shown the lever It turns a sleeve 10 on the rod the sleeve, in its turn, moving an arm 0 on the sleeve, which actuates the rod 9, arms 1, r', on the rock shaft 1 and the rod f connected with the steam throttle valve. 8 is a distance piece between the 'hand levers it and i.

The levers h and z' are conveniently arranged sov as to be operable from the platform m of the vessel.

The engine can be readily controlled by the throttle lever/ i while the propeller shaft can be reversed whenever desired by simply moving the lever i, the unit being therefore under most simple and effective control.

In a position where space is very limited this combination steam unit would be speeia-ll suitable as the engine can be made compound'tahdem, single crank, thus using the very minimum of space. The engines are made wlth all'combmations of cranks and cylinders that the particular circumstances may require and they canalso be made surface or jet condensing and, in fact, in any known marine combination. I have shown the engine in its simplest form as a marine unit with two cylinders compound (non-condensing) and central piston valves and I wish to make it quite clear that I do not confine my invention to the combination of the particular types of engine and reversing clutch illustrated and I have referred to the same simply as examples of what is best suited for my particular purpose.

The steam boiler may be of any suitable type and may be oil fired which would, of course, add very much to cleanliness and comfort where passengers were carried, or in yachts and like "essels.

Having now fully described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. The combination with a steam engine capable of driving in one direction only and having a driving and a driven shaft, of a reversing clutch Ior reversing the action of the driven shaft, mechanism for controlling the steam supply to the engine and moi-hanism for operating the clutch, the mechanism for controlling the steam supply to the engine being operable by a sleeve with hand lever thereon and the mechanism for opcrating the clutch being operable by a rod with hand lever thereon the rod extending into and supporting the aforesaid sleeve.

2. The combination with a steam engine capable of driving in one direction only and having a driving and a driven shaft, of a reversing clutch for reversing the action of the driven shaft, means for controlling the engine and means for operating the clutch, including a turnable rod, av lever operable thereby to engage the clutch members, a shoe in conjunction with said rod and a lever operable thereby to tighten the clutch brake.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MATTHEW JOSEPH McKEAN FITZPATRICK.

Witnesses:

J. CRAVEN, W. C. MoMARn. 

